I’m going to make a confession. When I was a young, 23 year-old new mom, I did something terrible.  I didn’t do it on purpose, I just forgot.  Emilee was about 5 days old and I was still in that new mother, Percocet-induced-lack-of-sleep haze, learning how to successfully breast-feed and just trying to remember to brush my teeth.  After feeding my baby one morning, I brought her up for a burp and realized there was a horrible stench emitting from under her armpits. And it was also coming from the skin folds of her neck. The thoughts that ran through my head went something like this:

“What was that - sour milk?”

“How did that get there?”

“Oh, drooling, spitting up, etc… must have leaked into the folds of her neck and armpits.”  

“Oh, it's horrible!"

"How do I get rid of that SMELL?”

*Lightbulb moment*- right, all that bath stuff I received at my shower, like a new baby bath, gentle soaps and shampoos. Oh, I'm supposed to use this stuff.   
Then a horrible thought crossed my mind - I haven’t bathed my baby since she was born!  

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone.  She is 12 now after-all and perfectly clean these days.   

Now with a new baby coming, I am sure to forget something else, but bathing won’t be one of those things.  Especially not with this adorable hooded towel and washcloth that baby star just sent over.  Talk about bathing in style. baby star products are known not only for design elements but for texture.  This Oregan based company believes not only in creating hip designs for baby, but also in sustainability and safe products for children.

And baby star isn't just about bath towels, items include apparel, bedding, burp cloths, diaper bags and entire section dedicated to organic items. 

I can’t wait to use my towel set (I am due in just 5 more weeks!) and now one winner can have a set just like mine by leaving a comment below. This giveaway will end 3/26.

Mom Central received one baby star hooded towel set to facilitate this candid review. 

I’m not a game type of person- the most fun I have with games is beating my 12 year old daughter at Connect Four. So when my dear friend Courtney asked about games for my baby shower, I said, “Um, do we have to?” I would rather play some nice music, and enjoy some great food and conversation. How often do you have many of your friends and family all together in one room in your honor?  That’s right, not often.  I do see the point of baby shower games.  They can be viewed as ice-breakers, especially with a room full of people that may not know each other or have much in common. And have you heard of that “Poopie Diaper” game?  Are you kidding me?  

 I told Courtney this was an absolute NOT! For those of you who haven’t heard of it, various chocolate bars are melted into diapers and passed around from guest to guest while they try to determine which candy bar has morphed into a baby poop.  Totally gross. And I am a big fan of chocolate-  just not in a diaper. 

So I had a chance to try out a new game, which also doubled as a meaningful keepsake. Created by Punch of Creativity and called the Pregnancy Brain Challenge, it is a game which incorporates significant dates for the expectant parents.  Since I had to provide many of the dates upfront (which is usually done by the shower organizer), I let my husband take over with the guessing.  Ten important dates are printed on baby onesies and passed out to guests.  Each guest has a chance to read the dates out loud and the guest of honor must guess why this date is important.  Imagine my surprise when my husband remembered the day we got engaged!  He was promptly told by my stepfather to forget that date as he was making men everywhere look bad. 
 

While I pride myself on not succumbing to “Pregnancy Brain” (or at least I think), I can understand how this game could be humorously played with a mother-to-be grasping at answers to the significance of dates she should know.  

The other thing that's great about this game is that it doesn't even have to be a game!  The guessing part was a highlight of the shower and fun for guests to learn about important dates in our lives, but the Pregnancy Brain Challenge would also make a great non-shower game gift. I'm thrilled with the memorable keepsake.  

Now you can win your own Pregnancy Brain Challenge either for an upcoming baby shower or to present to an expectant loved one.   Please leave a comment below to be entered to win!  Giveaway ends 3/19/10.

I received one Pregnancy Brain Challenge package from Punch of Creativity to facilitate this candid review.

My mother-in-law, who recently stayed with us for two weeks, puts it best:  "Using  this stroller is like pushing a hot knife through butter." 

We love our BOB. 

Charlie and I enjoyed test-driving strollers and ended up with the BOB Revolution for a few reasons:

• It's super easy to push (see "butter/knife" comment above).
• The stroller handles bumps (tree roots) and snow/ice very well.
• It's good for tall people!
• For a large stroller, it folds fairly compactly (fits in my VW Passat trunk with loads of room to spare).
• The big tires make it easier to drag up stairs.
• If you use the Infant Car Seat Adapter (sold separately), the stroller is good for infants through big kids (up to 70 pounds I believe).
• The front wheel rotates completely, making it easy to steer in grocery stores and other places with narrow aisles.
• We like how it looks.  We chose the navy/gray combo and are very happy with it.
• And last but certainly not least, we received multiple positive recommendations from friends. 

What is not-so-perfect about the BOB?

• I wish the under-stroller storage was a bit bigger.  I take Charlotte out on a lot of errands and typically end up with multiple bags. To get around this, I usually hook my diaper bag to the handles.
• It's a little heavy.  This issue doesn't bother my husband at all, but at the end of a long day when I've been schlepping lots of stuff around, I've been known to let out a groan when I have to put it in my trunk. 

The folks at BOB asked me to review two of their stroller accessories, which are sold separately.

First up, the Weather Shield (photo at left).  It's been a soggy winter up here in Boston - more rain the snow.  The Shield is easy to put on and definitely kept Charlotte dry.  The clear front is key as she really likes to look around at the outside world at this point.

Handlebar Console Giveaway

Mom Central will be giving away one BOB Handle Bar Console.  Here is how to win:

1. Please comment below on this post (make sure to to leave your email address).  Only one comment per email address.
2. Bonus entry if you Tweet about the contest.  (Make sure to leave a comment with a link to your Tweet.)
3. Bonus entry if you link to this post from your blog or website. (Again, make sure to leave a link to your post.)

Contest ends Tuesday, March 16.  Good luck!

Mom Central received one sample Handle Bar Console and one sample Weather Shield before writing this review.

****************

Adrienne is Mom Central's Community Manager.

adrienne@momcentral.com | http://twitter.com/adriennelb | http://www.facebook.com/AdrienneLB

Anyone who has had a baby knows they need a lot of baby “things”.   Sometimes you don’t know what you need until you need it – Which doesn’t always happen before 9pm while Target is still open.  Those of you who have had your 2^nd child not long after the first, will automatically know what you need and if you have it.  This isn’t the case for me.
 

The only thing I have left from my daughter’s infant years is her crib.  It has been used by one cousin since, but is back in my possession with the hardware in a large Ziploc bag. My husband isn’t exactly the handy type - he is getting better-(Sorry honey!), so fingers crossed there isn’t a nut or bolt missing.

My freak-out about baby “things” came one recent morning when I woke up and realized, if this baby were born today, I wouldn’t have a stitch of clothing for her. My first baby is 12 years old, and it’s safe to say, so much time has passed I need EVERYTHING.  Not that I should start to worry about it right this second, I know how some people cannot resist shopping for cute baby outfits *ahem mom*, so it’s just another new-mother worry. Like when I was obsessed with washing the walls yesterday.  My husband just laughed and shook his head. If I could have read his mind it was saying “look at the crazy pregnant lady.” and “My book said this would happen.” So not fair. I'm not making fun of him for just now asking me if I am taking a prenatal vitamin (I’m in my 3^rd trimester) because he read about it in his book.  

 Luckily, my very empathetic family and friends are putting together a little baby shower for me next week, and it is a relief to know that I may actually receive some badly needed baby items.   I’m not talking big things either.  As many of you veteran Moms know, you need a ton of little “things” too. 
 Spoons, pacifiers, bibs, burp cloths, bath items… need to stop it’s making my head spin. 

So I feel like I hit the jackpot last week when the folks at Sassy sent me a package of goodies to start my life as a new Mom: round two. Sassy has a new line of bath and feeding items that I can’t wait to try out. The redesigned line of toys and products was created to enhance the development of the senses. An ergonomically designed feeding bowl with spoon (designed to fit in one hand!), a 9 piece set of dishes with lids for on-the-go, a cool scrub-a-dub car wash bath activity along with a soft touch rise cup, a frog -shaped spout guard to protect little noggins, and more little “things” that I am sure I will be grateful for when the time comes.  The soft cup is brilliant. I think when my daughter was a baby I used a Solo cup for rinsing over and over, and being a young Mom, it reminded me of the keg parties I was probably missing.
 

But Sassy doesn’t want to stop with me. As a special promotion for these new product lines, Sassy would like to give my readers a chance to win a new feeding set AND a new bath set, so we are giving away one of each. To enter, just leave a comment below.  Winners will be chosen March 5.

I received a free set of feeding and bath items from Sassy to facilitate my candid review. 

Babywearing.  I’ve heard this term for a variety of reasons now that I’ve been employed with Mom Central for almost a year. Since I am expecting, I've come to realize -what better way to transport your little one, but by wearing her everywhere! Have to run out to water the lawn, wear your baby!  Have to run down the street to mail the mortgage payment, don’t bother with lugging the carriage out, unfolding and dragging down the steep brick steps, sling baby on!  In fact, a newborn is the perfect size and weight to wear.  All they really need from you is comfort and frequent feeding (well diaper changing too).  Introducing Sleepy Wrap, a natural sleep solution.  No bouncy seats and music here. Just the warmth of your body and the sound of your heartbeat is all your tiny person needs for comfort. 

Baby fits perfectly every time due to the very comfortable, stretchy and soft organic cotton. But my favorite part of this item is the ability to nurse discreetly.  I’m not due for another 11 weeks, but I am already anticipating this activity and pre-planning my days around feedings.  I won’t even have to take my baby out of the wrap to feed her!   
 

These wraps come in a variety of colors with mine in fire engine red to coordinate with my abundance of red and black pre-maternity clothes (fingers crossed I can even fit back into them). 
 
 

The Sleepy Wrap is just one of the many items expectant and new Moms can find at Destination Maternity. If the Sleepy Wrap is something you’d like to try, you can enter-to-win a $50 gift card to Destination Maternity just for commenting below!  Contest ends February 19. 

I received one Sleepy Wrap to review from Destination Maternity. 

When I finally got my degree at 29, I made a point of "walking" to receive my diploma along with all of my fellow 21 year-old peers.  I did this for Emilee more than myself to prove to her that you can accomplish your goals as long as you work hard.  And she was there, sitting with my parents, cheering the loudest.

I couldn't, and didn't know where my life would take me from that point, it seemed time was slipping away and I was getting older with no serious relationship. I wondered if I would ever get married or have any more children. I was starting to think that "fairytale" would never happen for me.   Two weeks after I received my degree, I met my future husband.

So here I am, 6 years later, expecting another little girl at 35 years old. People ask me why, when I was just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, would I start all over again.  I had even been asking myself that question. I've come to realize that it's not starting over, it's completing my family.  An extension of my already established tiny family. For many years, my immediate family consisted of the two of us and now it has almost doubled. So bring it on little girl!  You have a big sister who is itching to meet you.

 
 

Amon sent a pair of high-waisted boy-short “skivvie” and a belly band my way for testing. What a world of difference. I feel…more put together, if that makes sense.  The skivvies provide a great support and also help to keep my once innie belly button, well, in. The belly band helps me to stretch out my existing wardrobe by extending my jeans and pants just a little bit longer. It also feels great against my skin as it’s made from 90% nylon with 10% spandex for that stretch you will need as your belly expands. Extra back support is an added bonus, which is important in my case to help balance that touch of scoliosis that nags me from time to time. 

Right now, Amon Maternity is offering a $50 giveaway to one lucky reader! And for a limited time until January 15, Amon Maternity is conducting a 50% off sale that is only being offered via coupon code SUPERSALE, valid on the website- www.amonmaternity.com .

Please leave a comment below by January 29th to be entered to win $50 to Amon Maternity!

I received a “skivvie” undergarment and a belly band from Amon Maternity to facilitate my candid review

I am a beauty product fanatic.  Fanatic! So when I learned that Belli made a line of products especially for expectant mothers, I was overjoyed.  I wasn’t sure how I would be able to tell the difference from my usual shower gels and body lotions, but I was sure willing to give it a try.

Mom Central received a sample of Belli Skin Care products to facilitate this candid review. 

We've been maximizing Charlotte's Santa outfit for the past month.  The poor little lady seems to find it a bit hot at times but her mom and dad are certainly enjoying parading her around in it.  And since we celebrate both Christmas and Hannuakkah, there are twice as many parties to bring her to.  (Alas, we did miss a big fiesta in my hometown this weekend - but we were pooped!)

I hope you and your families have a fabulous holiday season!

Photo courtesy of my fabulous husband.